Malware is any software used to disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private assets residing in computer systems. This can lead to the malware creator or other unauthorized parties gaining access to the computer system and private information stored on the computer system being compromised via information exfiltration. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, adware, key loggers, and other malicious programs. These programs can appear in the form of computerized code, scripts, and other software, which in many instances gain access to the computer systems through, for example, e-mail attachments and file downloads through web browsers. Certain types of malware, such as, ransomware, restrict access to the infected computer system in some way, such as by systematically encrypting files on the computer system hard drive, and demand the computer system user to pay a ransom to the malware operator to remove the restriction.
Software, such as, for example, anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-malware and firewalls, are depended upon by computer users for protecting against malware and other malicious attacks, by limiting, or preventing, the opening of e-mail attachments and the download of files on the computer systems.